It’s the end of an era for Bishop O’Connell baseball. Coach Rick Hart, whose name has been synonymous with this team for the past decade, is stepping down, citing health issues. He will stay on as the head of security at O’Connell.

Coach Hart’s baseball career crossed paths with O’Connell even before he became the coach. He remembers playing against the team of Al Burch and Jake Jacob when he was a center fielder for Norfolk Catholic High School. He later coached the Norfolk team against the Knights.

Hart was hired as an assistant varsity coach in 2002, and took over the reins as head coach in 2004. In that first year as head coach, he was named WCAC and Virginia Independent Schools Coach of the Year. He was again named WCAC Coach of the Year in 2007. His combined season record with the Knights is an impressive 123-86. In those ten years, 24 O’Connell baseball players have gone on to play college baseball.

In 2007 and 2008, Hart was honored to serve as a coach of the National Amateur Baseball Federation at the Junior Olympic Trials. He is the winner of the Pioneer Award, presented by the D.C. Home Plate Club for his contributions to the game of baseball.

He will continue to coach the Virginia Barnstormers (now Shamrocks), a championship showcase team he has coached since 1999. The primary purpose of this Northern Virginia-based team is to get high school players to the next level of the game. Under his leadership, the Barnstormers have gone on to win the World Championship in 2000, 2009 and 2010.

"Rick Hart has served the O'Connell community and its baseball program with pride and passion over the last decade," said Athletic Director Joe Wootten. "We are grateful for all that he has done for the program and countless student athletes under his leadership."

“Coach Hart’s dedication to our school and our students is obvious in all he does,” said President Kathleen Prebble. “We are appreciative that he will continue to help guide us with the renovations of the baseball fields and will remain at the helm of our school security program.”

Hart, a native of Providence, R.I., is a man of few words. When asked about his most meaningful coaching experiences, he talks about working with individual players, and he talks about his 12 years working with disabled youth in Challenger Baseball.

“I’m 100 percent sure that God will not judge me by my win-loss record,” says Hart. “I was given the gift of baseball as a vehicle to help others.”